Logo image
Back
Bull Shark (Carcharhinus leucas) Occurrence along Beaches of South-Eastern Australia: Understanding Where, When and Why
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Bull Shark (Carcharhinus leucas) Occurrence along Beaches of South-Eastern Australia: Understanding Where, When and Why

Amy F. Smoothey, Yuri Niella, Craig Brand, Victor M. Peddemors and Paul A. Butcher
Biology (Basel, Switzerland), Vol.12(9), 1189
31/08/2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12091189
pdf
Bull Shark (Carcharhinus leucas) Occurrence along Beaches of South-Eastern Australia: Understanding Where, When and Why1.26 MBDownloadView
Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0,  Open Access
url
Bull Shark (Carcharhinus leucas) Occurrence along Beaches of South-Eastern Australia: Understanding Where, When and WhyView
Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0,  Open

Related links

Metrics

3 File views/ downloads
38 Record Views
9 Times Cited - Web of Science

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#14 Life Below Water
#15 Life on Land

Source: InCites

Abstract

acoustic telemetry intra-specific variability animal movement seasonality spatial temporal shark bite mitigation
Unprovoked shark bites have increased over the last three decades, yet they are still relatively rare. Bull sharks are globally distributed throughout rivers, estuaries, nearshore areas and continental shelf waters, and are capable of making long distance movements between tropical and temperate regions. As this species is implicated in shark bites throughout their range, knowledge of the environmental drivers of bull shark movements are important for better predicting the likelihood of their occurrence at ocean beaches and potentially assist in reducing shark bites. Using the largest dataset of acoustically tagged bull sharks in the world, we examined the spatial ecology of 233 juvenile and large (including sub-adult and adult) bull sharks acoustically tagged and monitored over a 5.5-year period (2017–2023) using an array of real-time acoustic listening stations off 21 beaches along the coast of New South Wales, Australia. Bull sharks were detected more in coastal areas of northern NSW (<32° S) but they travelled southwards during the austral summer and autumn. Juveniles were not detected on shark listening stations until they reached 157 cm and stayed north of 31.98° S (Old Bar). Intra-specific diel patterns of occurrence were observed, with juveniles exhibiting higher nearshore presence between 20:00 and 03:00, whilst the presence of large sharks was greatest from midday through to 04:00. The results of generalised additive models revealed that large sharks were more often found when water temperatures were higher than 20 °C, after >45 mm of rain and when swell heights were between 1.8 and 2.8 m. Understanding the influence that environmental variables have on the occurrence of bull sharks in the coastal areas of NSW will facilitate better education and could drive shark smart behaviour amongst coastal water users.

Details

Logo image